


Snowflake Signs

by FrostedGemstones22



Category: Frozen (2013), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 20:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2595068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostedGemstones22/pseuds/FrostedGemstones22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It happened on a plane; Elsa's soulmate symbol appeared. It sat there clear as day upon her skin as if it had always been there, telling her that her 'true love' wasn't only out there somewhere, he was here. And the worst part? Not only did Elsa think the soulmate thing was totally fake, her symbol was undoubtably a snowflake. JELSA, MODERN</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snowflake Signs

**Author's Note:**

> I really should be working on other things, seeing as it's November, but...sigh. Couldn't help myself XD Basically, I have been WAAAAYYYY too obsessed with OUAT (I watched two season in three weeks) and I have become even more obsessed with the ship Hook/Emma- I was even tempted to throw them into here, as a cameo. In my obsession, I've been reading a ton of stories about them on AO3, and I came across a couple about a 'soulmate mark' type thing, and thought I'd give it a try.
> 
> Tbh, I'm usually not a fan of modern AU stories (There are SO many college based ones out there it's so cliched, ugg) but I had to set it in modern days. And it was pretty darn fun. Hope you enjoyed everything I threw in about our favorite characters :)

Elsa knew all the happy ending stories; she could recall the ones about princesses and prices and true love's kiss and riding off into the sunset stories, the ones her mother would read to her and her sister when they were children. She knew the allure of movie magic, where love above all others was something special and grand and life-changing in every way. Elsa even recalled, in this moment, the old Greek Myth about soul mates.

Apparently, humans were created with double everything. They had two noses, two sets of eyes, four arms, four legs, and so on. Zeus thought that these creations were too powerful when together, and separated these perfect pairs. These pairs are supposedly always searching for their other half, that perfect fit, the literal meaning to the idea 'you complete me.'

But those are just myths, exaggerations of truths, and things people put their hope in when they hit rock bottom. This was what Elsa had told herself time and time over, especially about the markings some people got, until it happened to herself.

Theoretically, if the greeks were true, everyone has someone. It's a novel thought, and so sweet that it's too good to be true. Elsa has a hard time believing that psychopaths could ever find that one person that they are meant to be with (and more because Elsa feels bad for their 'other half') but according to the marks theory, it must be true.

All her life, and all the lives before her, humanity has recorded the appearance of soulmate marks that show up on people's skin, like tattoos, a glistening beacon to that one person you belong with. No two are alike, apart from that of your soulmate, and most are just incomprehensible lines and vague reflections of objects. They often appear on the inside of your wrist- a perpetually unfortunate location in Elsa's opinion.

Most people go their whole lives without the marks one day as real as themselves upon their skin. Some people get matching tattoos as if to say, 'Look! Even though we're not really soul mates, they got it wrong...we're meant to be!' And Elsa thinks this is sad and depressing. If the whole business with the marks is true, she often wondered, what was the point of dating? Falling in love? What was the point of any romance but the one if you are truly destined for someone else. She wished it was different, where you yourself had to be the judge if that person was your soulmate, but then again, there are more problems with that world too.

Some people theorize that in this wide world, the only way to get the mark to appear, is if you happen to find yourself in the vicinity of your significant other. From all the stories Elsa has heard, it seems to be true, as most couples that happily math their marks are often not from the same city, state, or even country! She hopes, in a small part of her, that if her mark ever appears, she speaks the language of the guy (or girl, who knows?) that she's meant to be with. She's pretty sure it would put a damper on things to speak two different languages.

Elsa is lucky enough to know not one but two couples that have their soulmate tattoos. The first is a friend of her's from high school, Rapunzel. She had taken a summer trip to Germany with her parents, and met a dashing man just a couple years older than her with a matching sun-like marking on his arm. Now, six years later, he had moved out to be with her. When Elsa had asked about the whole thing, and questioned if it was the mark that actually drew him to her, Rapunzel just smiled.

"I know you think it's all stupid Elsa. But I know I would have fallen in love with him even if marks didn't exist. He's everything I didn't know I wanted or needed...until I met him."

It was sickening to Elsa, but she smiled and gladly accepted a place at Rapunzel's upcoming wedding. She was genuinely happy for her friend, but still wasn't sure on the whole mark thing.

And then just three months ago, her sister Anna, had gotten her mark as they had passed into the state line of Wisconsin to visit some family over Christmas. Elsa was thrilled to see the snow and ice (she had a thing for it) while Anna had just chattered her teeth and complained. It surely wasn't anything like their little house they shared down in Louisiana, where it was mostly sunny all the time. It was for Anna though, Elsa reminded herself, that she suffered in the warm weather. Her sister suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and after the death of their parents...well, Elsa had given up her dreams of living somewhere with snow (Maybe even Alaska!) to move in with her sister, who although was well old enough to take care of herself, Elsa didn't want either of them to be alone.

Anna had been ecstatic about the mark, and had not so obscurely checked the underarm of basically every guy they met along the drive, where ever they stopped. Whenever they would pass a town, regardless if Elsa was going to stop there or not, Anna would announce either that the town was drawing her there or not, as if this mark had suddenly given her the powers of foresight too.

On their last day of the trip (which left Elsa wondering if fate and the universe really had it in for her- she had to spend eight excruciating days listening to Anna go on about this mark) they met Kristoff, a handyman of sorts their grandmother employed. He did a lot of odd jobs- kept the house from freezing over in the harsh cold, walked her dog Olaf with his own, Sven and did the shopping because she was almost too frail to go out and do it herself. Elsa had already suggested that perhaps her grandmother move down to where it was warmer, but her kin politely refused.

"This is my home, dearie. I think I would miss the winters, just like you do." She said with a wink.

She was pretty sure her grandmother knew about Anna's and Kristoff's matching tattoos, because she rang Kristoff to come over on their last day, making up some silly thing he needed him to fix (the plumbing or something), and when he arrived, he'd met Anna. All it took was her to be taking off her gloves and he to notice the small top of the mark for it to all be happily ever after.

Or, the start of it.

Elsa felt blessed to watch two people fall in love with someone they believed to be destined for them. But she didn't think it would happen to her, not in a million years. Fate wouldn't be so lucky, if it was true, to give both her and her sister their soul mates. Even having it happen once was a miracle.

In present time, Elsa recounted how she came back to where she was; standing over the sink in an airplane, watching the sign become darker and darker on her pale skin. Her and Anna had been planning this trip for months; a trip to Norway, where their family hailed from. It was Anna's last year in college, and now that she had Kristoff, the last year they'd be together. It was only natural for them, as sisters, to part eventually. Elsa was now free to go to Colorado and live in the mountains there where it snowed all the time, and her sister was getting married. She should feel happy, but she just felt empty. Anna was sure it was because there wasn't a certain someone in her life. She wholeheartedly disagreed.

Either way, she hadn't expected anything of this trip. It had happened so casually, without warning, as she was sitting in her seat. There was a burning pain that suddenly struck at her wrist, and stumbling to undo her safety buckle, she said a quick excuse to Anna and all but ran to the bathroom. Watching in horror, she saw the blackness rise underneath her flesh, and the burning only intensified. It wasn't painful, but it was definitely unwanted.

And when it was done, the sign was in an unmistakable shape, which she felt was just almost mocking her...a snowflake.

Anna couldn't know. If her sister saw the sign, she would be relentless. She would turn this whole country, for Elsa was fairly sure it was when they passed into Norway the sign appeared, apart to find her sister's 'true love'. She knew she had to hide it. She had been wearing a fabric headband and wrapped it tightly around the new mark. She tried to be as causal as possible walking back, but she felt as if she was wearing a neon sign saying, 'Look at me! I have a soulmate somewhere!' but no one turned their heads.

Even Anna, who was engrossed in a movie playing, only nodded at her return, and her eyes never once looked at the headband wrapped around her sister's wrist.

It was early in the morning when they finally checked in; too early to do anything fun, and the were both exhausted. Anna plopped down on one of the twin beds, and it was only a moment after that her sister was fast asleep, clothes and all. Elsa wrote her a vague note about having to do something, and slipped outside. The first tattoo parlor that was open she almost flung herself into. The man behind the counter jumped at her sudden entrance.

"How much would it be for a simple and slightly abstract tattoo of a snowflake a bout yea-big on my wrist?" She said in a rush. The man blinked, and told her a price. She gave a sigh of relief.

"Great. You're going to ring me up like you actually gave me one, and I'll pay you to do nothing at all." She informed him.

"What?" He said, stopping what he was doing. Uneasily, Elsa unraveled the headband, hoping this guy had heard about the soulmate thing, because she really didn't want to describe it. It would make her sound like an idiot.

"It's easier to tell people I got a tattoo than..." She trailed off.

"You don't want someone to know you have a soulmate, I suppose." He said, nodding, "Boyfriend? Fiancee? Husband?" He pressed, casually guessing.

"Does it matter?" Elsa asked, digging out her purse, "I just need proof when someone confronts me." She said.

"You know," The tattoo artist began, "Most people pray and hope to find a mark on them one day. Come in demanding I give them one that looks like this guy they like or this girl." He said.

"I'm not, okay?" Elsa said testily, glancing around, half expecting Anna to pop up and everything to be ruined.

The man didn't say anything more, but the transaction was completed, and she took off with the receipt for her fake new tattoo store carefully in her purse.

Back in the room, about two hours after she'd left, Anna was sitting up waiting for her.

"Where did you go?" She asked. Elsa contemplated if she should just say something about getting a 'tattoo' right then and there, but decided that if she had to, she would. Otherwise she'd play it off.

"Oh, I was just feeling a little claustrophobic. Went to look around." She said with a shrug.

"What's that on your wrist?" Anna said at once, the white fake pad the man had put on her wrist catching her eye immediately.

"Oh, well, you know. I did something spontaneous. I got a tattoo." She said with a shrug, as if they were talking about the weather. Anna's eyes widened.

"No way!" She said, "This isn't the Elsa I know." She said, and stood, "Lemme see!" Before Elsa could protest, she'd lifted away the bandage, and dropped it back, stumbling.

"Elsa..." She began.

"I got a snowflake. Thought it was me, right?" Elsa felt her face grow hot, rubbing her palms together nervously.

"That looks an awful lot like a soulmate sign." Anna said slowly.

"Oh, really? Never thought of it." Elsa said, sitting down, watching her sister's eyes.

"I think it's a soulmate sign and you just don't want to tell me." Anna said.

"Really, do you think I would not tell you if that happened?" Elsa said.

"Yes!" Anna said, "You're a personal person. I get that. Now, you don't have to lie since I've figured it out." She said, poking her sister in the side.

"No, really. It's a tattoo. Look!" Elsa insisted, fishing the receipt from her bag. One day, if she ever met this guy and they actually got along, she'd tell her sister. But for right now, everything in her body was pressing her not to know. At her sister's disbelief, she continued, "It's clearly a snowflake. Signs don't look like anything." She said with a huff.

"Rapunzel and Flynn's are suns."

"That's even debatable, and if it is, it's an anomaly. C'mon, yours is a bunch of squiggles." Elsa pointed out, showing the mass of lines on the underside of her sister's arm.

"I think it looks like a rabbit." Anna said, patting her arm.

"Kristoff thinks it's a frisbee, and Grandma is sure it's the Packer's Logo foretelling a SuperBowl win next year." Elsa pointed out, "My tattoo is clearly a snowflake." She ended.

Anna looked at her through narrowed eyes. "You really just decided to be spontaneous? You're never spontaneous."

"Then I was twice spontaneous. I don't know, I'm just trying to live more." She said, looking at her sister. Anna watched her carefully. If she could fool her sister, she could fool anyone.

"Fine." Anna said, with a sigh, seemingly dropping the subject. "Nice spontaneous tattoo. I'm going to take a shower, an then we should decide what we're doing today." Anna said.

"Sounds great." Elsa said, smiling in relief. As soon as the bathroom door clicked behind Anna, Elsa let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed she was in the clear...for now at least. If Anna saw anyone else with the same sign on their forearms, she was dead.

After a day of walking around, getting lost multiple times, dipping their toes into the sightseeing mastery of Norway, they found themselves in a tavern just a couple paces from their hotel late into the night. Yet, for the lateness of the hour, the tavern was buzzing with activity. Elsa and Anna sat at the bar, sharing a basket of fries and a drink or two each. Anna had not brought up the tattoo all day, thankfully. She didn't even seem to be checking the arms of guys. If she was, she was doing it with more tact than when her own had appeared.

"So..." Anna started, and immediately a twist grew in Elsa's stomach. She wasn't sure if she liked that tone, "If you want to convince me that it really was a spontaneous thing today, I think I have a way to prove it." She said with a gleam in her eye.

"Oh, what's that?" Elsa asked, trying not to flinch.

Anna grinned, and lowered her voice. "There's a guy sitting at a booth that's been staring at you all night. I think you should talk to him, let him buy you a drink. He's pretty hot." She murmured. Elsa was about to turn, but her sister grabbed her arm, "Take my word for it."

"Anna..." She groaned, "Being spontaneous does not mean letting any old guy buy me a drink." She said.

"Yes, because you wouldn't let a guy buy you a drink like ever. Give him a chance; I'm not asking you to marry him tonight!" She pressured. Elsa gave her sister a helpless look.

"I don't think that this-,"

"You let him buy you a drink and try to have fun, prove me wrong, or I will start searching for your true love right now- staring with this entire place." She threatened. Elsa wanted to hit her head in frustration. Instead, she smile sweetly at her sister.

"There's not need for that." She assured, "Because it's just a tattoo. Fine, I'll let him buy me a drink." She said, "If he happens to come up. You are not to motion him over though!" She added. Anna gave a wide grin.

"No need. He's already on his way over."

The shock of panic that ran down Elsa's back froze her up. She gave her sister wide eyes. She waved her phone.

"I'm going back to the hotel to Skype Kristoff. Now you two have fun." She giggled. Elsa was about to object, but her sister had mastered the grab the coat and go thing, and before she knew it, she heard some slide into the stool next to her. Slowly, she turned around. She was positive that her sister meant well, and she was about to apologize and tell him she wasn't interested, but she paused.

He was attractive; ginger hair, slender face, deep green eyes, and impeccably fit clothes. Elsa reminded herself to close her mouth. Her eyes flashed down to his wrist, but saw his sleeves were firmly fastened at the button, obscuring if he was 'the one' or not. But she forced herself to push that away; she didn't believe in such things anyway.

"Hi." She whispered, biting her lip nervously. The last time she'd had a serious relationship was senior year. In college, she hadn't really talked to many guys. She admitted she was a bit of a recluse, but for the job and her salary now, it was worth it. She always told herself she had all her life to become social.

"I'm Hans. And you are..." He paused, watching her face, "Speechless?" He said with a laugh of mirth. Elsa recovered.

"It's Elsa actually." She replied, leaning in.

"Ah, well that's a much better name." He said, and paused, "I will admit I've been watching you for about an hour. You are a radiating beauty in this dark and cold place." He said. Elsa giggled, unsure what to say. She liked to believe she was suave and clever with men, but all her words left her.

"A drink?" he asked, and Elsa just numbly nodded. Hopefully another drink would loosen her nerves.

Her sister would be proud of her, she thought, an hour later. Her and the mysterious Hans soon feel into an interesting conversation, stationed where they were, even as the general public trickled out leaving them the only people in the place. And maybe, she thought, this was fate. Maybe this was her soulmate.

Hans was political; a topic she knew well. She had considered going into politics once, but had found law school to be more interesting. Yet, she had taken a couple Poly Sci classes at her university, and found law often meshed over into politics. Even if their conversation wasn't flirty, it was intellectual, which was almost as good as anything else in Elsa's opinion.

Soon, the tavern was closing, and Hans slipped her coat onto her shoulders like a gentleman. Outside, Elsa grinned.

"It was lovely talking to you."

"We could continue to talk...someplace else." He said, raising an eyebrow. While Elsa was flattered, going home with him just was too much for her. She wasn't that 'spontaneous' and she surely wasn't a one-night stand type of girl.

"That's sweet, but I think I'm just going back to my hotel." She said, "But it was nice to meet you." She was tempted to ask for his number, but she was only staying a week or so more, and she wanted to spend it with her sister.

"C'mon, after I bought you all those drinks?" He pestered, "You'll have fun, I promise." He sounded a little hurt. Elsa took on of his hands.

"I already said it's a nice offer, but I'm not that kind of girl." She said.

His face twisted, "So you're the kind of girl who leads guys on, huh?" He asked. Elsa blinked, as if she'd been slapped.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Please, I mean from what you're wearing to the way you were leaning all over me, and had three drinks, clearly-,"

"I'm sorry if I ever gave you the wrong impression." Elsa said icily, "But that was not my intention. Goodnight." She said, turning sharply on her heels.

"Oh, no you don't." She felt his hands grab her arm, and she yanked away, but found his grip surprisingly strong.

"Let go of me!" She said, "Get away!" She cried, her voice getting louder, pulling away.

"Not until you pay me back for those drinks." He growled. She turned.

"It's money you want, fine!" She said, grabbing for her wallet.

"No, it's not money. You know what." He said, drawing her in, "Now why don't you be a good little American and-,"

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice called from the steps of the tavern. It was the guy who had been serving drinks, "Is this guy bothering you, ma'am?" He asked.

"Oh, no. Just a little argument." Hans began to say, pulling her in, and she squirmed, stepping on his foot hard, but he hardly moved, "We just need to get a cab, she's a little drunk so she doesn't know-,"

"I didn't ask you." The guy said, and instantly a walking stick he'd been leaning on was forced between the pair, "I asked her." He said. Elsa looked at him; he was young, with a round face. He had white hair- clearly dyed- and blue eyes, "Is this guy troubling you?"

Elsa didn't want to admit that she couldn't handle him, but locked her jaw. "Yes." She muttered.

"Buddy, you let her go, or I call the cops. I know who you are, Hans." He threatened. Hans backed away, pushing her and stalking off.

"Bitch wasn't worth it anyway." He muttered. Elsa stumbled, feeling her ankle twist, and gave a hiss of pain. Her arm throbbed where his grip had been, and she felt just bad. That was the last time she did something spontaneous.

"Hey, you okay?" The guy said, leaning down, but he was careful not to touch her, which Elsa was pleased with.

"Fine." She muttered, rubbing her thin sleeves of her shirt, "Just...never mind." She tried to walk, but stumbled as her ankle stopped her with a flash of pain.

"Did he do that?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in on her ankle.

"Inadvertently." She shrugged, her fingers gently touching her arm.

"But he did that." The guy sighed, "Why don't you come in, I can get some ice for that stuff." He offered.

"I should get back to my hotel room." Elsa said softly, shoulders hunched.

"And have your sister ask what happened? Wouldn't you rather get some ice and get the swelling down?"

"She'll find out eventually." Elsa said, but the guy seemed so genuine, in comparison to Hans who now she realized was so...fake. Her ankle cried in protest, "Maybe just for a bit." She finally agreed, "But isn't the tavern closed?"

"Well, I suppose that's a perk of owning it. I can go in it after hours." He said, and offered her his walking stick.

"Don't you need that?" Elsa asked, as she had noticed a limp to his walk. He shook his head.

"I can make it up there." He said with a laugh. Elsa followed him in.

"Aren't you a little young to own a tavern?" She questioned, "Are you even old enough to serve alcohol?"

"For your sake, you should hope so." He said with a chuckle, but noticing her expression sighed, "Joking. And I'm 22. But in Norway, drinking age is only 18, so..." He shrugged.

"Oh." Elsa said, hitting herself for forgetting such details. As she herself was 26, it wasn't something she necessarily had to worry about at all. He led her past the bar to a door that was locked. Elsa felt a twinge of worry grow, especially after what had just happened.

"Where are we going?" She asked nervously, leaning against the stick.

"Up to my place," He said, and turned to see her expression, "I'm not doing this to ambush you." He said with an exasperated sigh, "I just thought that a couch might be more comfortable than a bar stool."

"Well, after what just happened, can you blame me?" Elsa muttered.

"I could have told you Hans was a creep," The guy said back, "Clearly you're not from around here, otherwise you would have known his reputation."

"Like me saying hotel room didn't hint that." She said. The guy turned back to her, halfway up the steps, an tired but yet glimmering expression on his face.

"You are really sarcastic. Has anyone ever told you that?" He asked. Elsa gave a shrug.

"On occasion."

At the top of the stairs, he flipped on the lights, and Elsa had to admit it was everything she thought a guy's - living seemingly alone- place would look like. He shoved some stuff from one side of the couch to the other, making her a spot to sit. She eased herself down, and handed him back his staff. He went into a kitchen and returned with a rag and a ziplock full of ice.

"It's going to be cold." He said, handing it to her.

"Really..." Elsa rolled her eyes, "And it's fine; I don't mind the cold." She said. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Then Norway must be a delightful vacation for you. What brings you here anyway?" Elsa gave him a look, "What? Just trying to be conversational."

"I don't even know your name, and I don't think you know mine." Elsa said tensely.

"Okay, I'm Jack Overland. And you..." He said, holding out a hand. Elsa gave a long sigh, and shook it. He was being very nice, and seemed sincere.

"Elsa Arendelle." She murmured. She noticed that his eyes zoned in one her new tattoo.

"What's that?" He asked, his voice hitting an odd tone.

"Oh, just a tattoo I got on the fly today." She said, shrugging, and her eyes looked at his wrist. Although he had a leather strap, it didn't obscure her view, and as she could see, no mark. She wondered maybe if he knew the person who magically had the same mark? If he did, he didn't say anything about it more than,

"It's cool looking." He said, "Want something to eat? Especially after all those drinks, I would imagine you might want something to eat."

Elsa sighed. Her day had gone from bad to worse, and now she was in some guy's house above a tavern, and her sister thought she was getting it on or having a wonderful night with the mystery guy that turned out to be a jerk. She ran a hand through her hair.

Why the hell not? "Sure." She said, "I guess." Jack gave a smile, and looked at the TV and turned a channel on, so at least she wouldn't be sitting in an uncomfortable silence while he was in the kitchen. Her eyes wandered around the room out of curiosity and nervousness. Something caught her eye, and she grinned. As he came back into the room with some sandwiches and two glasses of water.

"You skate?" She asked gleefully. Jack seemed surprised, caught off guard.

"Huh?"

"The skates." She said, pointing to the pair by his door. A grimace ghosted over his face.

"Ah those. I keep meaning to give those to charity." He muttered.

"Oh," the excitement slowed in Elsa's chest, "DId you used to?" Jack sat opposed to her on a chair of clothes. He seemed to grip his walking stick harder as she asked.

"Did, yeah." He said, and it was painfully obvious it was a sore subject, "I-,"

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine." Elsa said. Lord knew that she understood the feeling perfectly, and she was struck the the similarity of meaning of the boots.

"No, you asked. It's not a big secret or something, you might have already figured it out." He said laying his staff on the ground. Slowly, as he pulled up his left pant leg, he spoke, "I used to play hockey. It was really damn good at it too, and more than that I loved it. Unfortunately, I tore my ACL not once, but twice," He said, showing a puckered line running from his kneecap down his leg, "Unlucky, some said. Twice in the same place. I mean, it happens in hockey, just not often. Ever since then, I've needed this. Doctors say it's all physiological, in my head. Should be able to walk and play, but...every time I tried after I was supposedly better, it's like everything I knew just..." He made a motion with his hands, "Gone."

"I'm sorry." Elsa said, her eyebrows knitting in sorrow. She glanced at his staff- it was dark wood with a sharp curved 'C' at the top, and she imagined having to rely on that, "That's awful." He shrugged.

"Around the same time, I inherited this place after my mother died. It seemed like the world was telling me time to move on."

"My god," Elsa said, looking at the walls.

"Yeah." He said, then looked at the boots, "You got excited when you asked me 'bout those. Do you skate?" He asked.

Elsa gave a emotionless laugh, "Funny thing; I used to as well but no longer do."

"Injury?" He asked, searching her body for a similar fate.

"Of some sort." She said, "I used to be a figure skater, if you believe it. It was my mom and dad that pushed me; everyone thought I was headed for the Olympics. Then, my senior year, they died in a car crash. Like you, I should be able to skate still, but every time I try to put on the boots, I just my mom, and kills me. Frankly, I guess I don't want to go to the Olympics unless my mom can see me, my dad too."

Jack gave an unexpected laugh, "Well aren't we a pair?" He said, draining his water in one gulp. Elsa rotated the glass, watching the water slide around the side.

"I guess so."

"No more depressing talk. So you're here on vacation? What have you seen?" He asked. Elsa pushed back the thoughts of her parents, and forced a smile. After that, she relaxed, and recounted what she'd seen. He gave a derisive snort.

"Tourists stuff, 'course."

"What are we supposed to do, then?" She demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Seeing it as it really is, all the hidden wonders that they don't put on the tour books." He said.

"Well, seeing as that's all we have is tour books, I'm not sure how we'd see those sorts of things." Elsa pointed out.

"I'm here." He said, and Elsa laughed, but then noted his serious expression.

"What?" She said, glancing at him through narrowed eyes and a thin smile, "Are you offering to be a 'tour guide' or something?" She questioned.

"Yeah." He said, "How else are you going to see the good stuff?" He asked.

"You hardly know me, and you've only maybe seen my sister." Elsa said, "Why would you do that?" Jack gave a helpless look.

"Dunno. Maybe I'd be personally offended if you left without getting the true flavor of Norway, especially since your family is from here-," Elsa shot him a questioning look, "Heard you and your sister talk about it." He assured.

Elsa considered it. She noticed her ankle felt much better, and she had already spent much longer her than she wanted. "I'll think about it." She said, and stood, holding the bag of now melted water to him, "Thank you again. I guess you're not too bad."

Jack sighed, nodding. When Elsa returned to the room, her sister was asleep, and she was luckily excused from questions she didn't want to answer. She did her night-time routine, and curled under the covers, cradling her arm with the bruises already forming. If she had any luck ever, she only had long sleeve things, and she could hide the whole thing from Anna. Even thought Elsa could have chosen not to talk to him, Anna would hold herself personally responsible and wallow in self-pity, blaming herself. Elsa didn't want her sister to do that. Besides, she did meet Jack...who despite every rational thought, her body warmed at the thought.

"Elsa!" She heard her sister call sharply what seemed like only a moment later. She snapped her eyes open, to see a widely grinning Anna above her, "You didn't tell me that you found us a personal tour guide last night!" She said. Elsa, now fully awake, shot into a situation position, and saw the back of Jack's head in the little entryway of their hotel room.

"Uh..." She said, unsure on how to respond. How did he find their hotel room in the first place, "How did he get in here? How did he even find us?" She muttered, rubbing her head.

"I went back to that tavern because I realized I'd left my good sunglasses there yesterday. They must have slipped out of my purse. I ran into Jack and he told me all about how you two had decided he'd show us around, being a local and all! That's totally awesome." She nudged her sister.

"He did, did he?" Elsa growled, crawling out of her bed on the other side, "I just need like ten, okay?" She said, and Anna nodded. Elsa locked the bathroom door. She wasn't sure what she felt. She dressed quickly, throwing her hair into a braid, and walking outside.

"Jack." She said, and he nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around, "So..." She said, arching an eyebrow. Her eyes silently prayed he'd said nothing about the incident with Hans last night, "You told Elsa about how we met?"

"Yeah, told her how that guy that you'd been eyeing was actually headed for a different girl, and you, in your loneliness turned to me- the dashing young bartender- to sooth your sorrows, with friendship, not beer, of course." He added. Elsa resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Yeah." She said, "That story. You know, it's nice you're doing this, but don't you have like...oh, I don't know...a bar to run?" She questioned. Jack snorted.

"I might own it, but I do have other people that work there, thank you very much. I usually open it and close." He informed her. Elsa sighed in defeat.

He stood as Anna arrived, holding two coats- hers and Elsa's- and handed one to her sister. As she pulled on her coat, her shirt sleeve slipped up, showing her soulmate mark.

"Oh, did you get a tattoo with your sister?" Jack asked, and Anna looked confused, then noticed where his eyes were.

"No! Oh, this!" She said, puling her sleeves up further, "This is my soulmate mark."

"You don't say." Jack said, nodding carefully. His eyes flashed toward Elsa's mark. It was as if she could see the wheels turning in his head and connect the similarities- the location, the size of the lines of the marking, the black color that was so noticeable, and a million other things. She really expected him to make a comment, but instead, he just smiled, "Have you found the lucky guy yet?"

Anna winked, holding up her hand, showing the stone glittering beautifully on her finger, "What do you think?"

"Point taken." He said, "Shall we?"

And so it went; three days of Jack pushing them onto busses or other methods of transportation, taking them all around and out of the city to the best places; the authentic restaurants, the most serene places in parks, the coolest things he'd found in his time around the city. He was a casual guy, someone who made Elsa laugh, which Anna pointed out was a rare talent. He was utterly obnoxious though, the other half of the time, flirting with her relentlessly and with Anna jokingly.

"Too bad we don't live her; he'd be good for you." Anna said often when the pair were alone, "He makes you...I don't know, I haven't seen you so happy in awhile."

"I'm happy because I'm here with my sister." Elsa assured her, "Jack's nice, but as you said, we don't live here." In the back of her chest, though, she knew she was inexplicably drawn to him, which meant absolutely no sense for he for sure didn't have the mark that she wore on her wrist. It was cruel; according to Anna, her guy was out here somewhere. Maybe they'd run into each other while getting coffee or grabbing a slice of pizza, or when they were wandering around. Then what? How would that be any better? She would still be in the same position, but it would be worse, because she already liked Jack far too much.

That is why, on Friday morning, when Jack told them to pack their bags for the weekend, Elsa had mixed feelings.

"I'm supposed to go to my Aunt's house; she loves visitors. She'll show you a real Norwegian meal and life, I assure you. It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere."

"Oh we can't intrude on your family visit." Elsa said, although Anna was already smiling in excitement.

"You'd be doing me a favor. Please." He said, laughing, "Besides it's never too early to meet the family," He added with a wink. Elsa rolled her eyes and turned away, but only to hide the flush that ran up her face.

It took a while to convince her, but soon they had checked out of the hotel, and were loading their bags into Jack's car, and he handed his keys over to his friends that worked at the bar- Jamie and Aster- and they both winked at Elsa and made some comment that she couldn't hear. They seemed to ignore Anna, though.

"Well, clearly they can see she's engaged." Was Jack's reply when she questioned him about it. He was so suave about everything that if he was actually flirting with her or not, she couldn't be sure.

The hours ticked by as they drove through the countryside. It was beautiful, and it reminded her of the photographs her own grandmother had displayed around her house.

"You should see it in the summer; everything is the perfect shade of green." Jack informed her.

"I think it's beautiful white." Elsa assured him. He chuckled.

"That makes two of us." He said, his fingers thumping against the steering-wheel, "So...you'll be meeting my aunt and uncle and two cousins...and my younger sister." He said. Elsa cocked her head; she already knew his mother had died, and his father had left them, but she was surprised he hadn't talk about a sister.

"You have a sister too?" He gave a grim smile, a sad one.

"Emma. She's, uh, 14. When my mom died, I mean, I don't know the first thing about watching a fourteen year old. I have a cousin that's her age, and my aunt decided that it would be nice for the pair to go to school. I also think they didn't like that she would be living above a bar. It's probably for the best." He admitted after a moment, "After mom died, I just...I don't know how to talk to her."

"I get that," Elsa snorted, and inside she marveled at their similarities. She recalled how she had been estranged from her sister for nearly six months after their parents had died. It wasn't until Anna became seriously depressed she had to snap out of it and realize that now she had to care for her sister and do what was best for the pair. So, she'd rejected the admission to the University of Colorado and hastily applied somewhere else. She had taken in her sister, but merely because apart from her grandparents, there was no one else to take her. Not like Jack, who had other family, which she was incredibly envious about. But that was a horrible thing to think; she loved living with her sister now, of course. But at the time...she would have given anything to be free of responsibilities. But that would have led her to where Jack was, unsure on how to talk to the one person that understood what was happening the most. And she didn't want that.

"Just give her time to grow up, you'll eventually find things to talk about." She said, awkwardly patting his shoulder. Jack knit his eyebrows.

"You think?"

"Yeah," Elsa nodded her head confidently, "And maybe you just need to make the first move. That can go along way." She added. Jack scrutinized her the best he could while driving.

"You speak from experience." He surmised. Elsa just smiled, and looked out the window.

"Yeah, I do."

They pulled up to a picturesque house surrounded on all sides by snowy farm land with a few sparse trees. Elsa could see an assemblage of people already gathered, and she gleaned that Jack's visits weren't often. It wasn't surprising, seeing as there were no phone lines for miles around her.

"Do they know we're joining you?" Elsa asked uneasily, sinking back into the seat of the car.

"Uhm," Jack winced, "Sort of...?" He said. Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Sort of." She repeated, "What?"

"Well, they knew I was bringing someone. Your sister is just an extra...and they knew the person that was coming." He said.

"Oh, were you supposed to bring Jamie or something?" Elsa asked. From the vacant, sad gaze he cast her way, she shook her head, "Never mind. Forget I asked." She said, even though the questions were burning at her skin.

Jack insisted she get out of the car with him, although Elsa felt very uncomfortable. But as soon as she and Anna stepped from the car, Jack was already on top of it.

"Aunt Catherine, meet my two new friends. Anna and Elsa. Would have told you about the sudden change in plans, but well, you don't believe in phones." He said with a roll of his eyes. Then, he ducked in and whispered something in her ear, that made her eyes glimmer with sympathy, and gave him a strong clap to his shoulder, with a nod. Whatever he said she spread through the rest of the people, who all gave him similar glances, but strangely said nothing.

It was at this time Elsa and Anna were close enough to shake people's hands. "Well, this is Aunt Catherine and Uncle Amos. These are my cousins- Melvin is eight, and Cierra is fourteen." He said, and as if they were a long lost part of the family, Anna and Elsa were unceremoniously hugged and greeted. When Elsa finally burst from the first meetings, she saw Jack glancing around uneasily.

"Where's Emma?" He asked.

"She went and is spending the night at a friend's house." Catherine said. Jack's look of hurt was unparalleled to anything he'd ever displayed before.

"But she knew I was coming, wasn't she?" He murmured, looking at the ground.

"Well, yes, but she had this planned for weeks before you announced were coming. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you tomorrow though." His aunt assured. The sky was darkening, and it was just in time for dinner.

It was very similar but at the same time very different to the atmosphere of her family. It was warm and welcoming, just like her grandmother's house, but there were so much more family here that welcomed them with warm arms and good food. The dinner was delicious. Her grandmother had made a dish or two of what she sampled, but Elsa had to admit there was a magic about being in the country where the ingredients were grown that couldn't be replicated from the little neighborhood market where her grandmother lived.

"Emma was hoping you'd take her ice-skating." Amos commented over dinner, causing Jack to completely freeze up.

"Uncle, you know..." He began.

"What that you're a wimp?" Catherine said sharply, "Because that's the only reason you won't get back on those skates."

"I went through two painful surgeries. The doctors say that I'm not completely healed after the second. Recuperation takes longer, you know." He said, which Elsa could tell was an outright lie. But it sated his uncle and aunt, who just gave a disappointed sigh.

"She was quite looking forward to taking a spin on the old pond." Amos said wistfully.

"You have a pond that you can skate on?" Anna asked, giving Elsa excited looks. She was pretty sure that her sister mouthed the word 'spontaneous' to her, which Elsa gave an inward moan about.

"Yes, just a ten minute walk or so away from here." Catherine said, "Though you can't see it now."

"Oh, Elsa used to skate! Maybe she can take Emma out there!" Elsa felt her silverware clatter onto the plate. If she could shoot daggers from her eyes, Anna would be quite dead. Amos noticed the look and gave a nervous dab of his napkin to his lips.

"We have skates bout her size, but if she's uncomfortable with it..." He began, and Elsa cursed her sister. She didn't want to seem like a bad guest. And besides, like Jack, it was all in her head. Why should she hesitate to spread the joy of skating to someone else? Even though she was terrified at the idea, she smiled at Amos.

"Oh, it will be fun. If she wants to, I'll take her." She said, pushing a smile to her face. She was actually hoping the family forgot about her offer altogether.

They stayed up talking and playing card games until Elsa found herself yawning and rubbing her eyes. They, unfortunately, since they were not expecting two people only had a queen bed to offer. This was fine with Elsa, and Anna mostly, who had brushed off their apology and squeezed Elsa's had. "It will be just like when we were younger going on vacations and sharing beds!" She said.

That night, with the lights off, even though their faces were less than a foot apart, Elsa couldn't make out her sister's face in the dark.

"I really wish Jack was the one." Anna said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Elsa asked.

"Your soulmate." Anna said, "But he doesn't have the mark..."

"Anna, I already showed you it's just a tattoo." Elsa said.

"Right." She was sure her sister was rolling her eyes, "I'm still not quite sure I believe ya, sis. But seriously, if it was, Jack would be good for you."

"Anna, what do you expect him to do? Move to America? Or me move here?" She asked.

"You like the cold," Anna said, and Elsa could hear her falling asleep even as she spoke, "Moving here to be with a true love wouldn't be so bad..."

Elsa listened to the sounds of her sister softly snoring, and sighed. She held her her arm and held the mark close to her face. If only Anna knew how many times she'd already wished to see the same mark on Jack's forearm.

In the morning, she met Emma for the first time. Elsa noticed the had the same natural hair color; she had begun to see the chocolate brown color peeking out under the white hair-dye. She hadn't gotten around to ask him about it, but she figure if there was a story, she would have heard it. His sister's eyes were dark brown and inquisitive. The way she looked at Elsa when she walked down the stairs; it was the strangest look. Elsa had felt before that the family was holding its breath around her, withholding something. She was now confident this was true, from the expression in Emma's eyes. There was anger...but hope? It was two emotions Elsa didn't comprehend to be seen together, much less directed at her!

Luckily, she got out of having to take Emma ice-skating. A nasty snow-storm blew in, locking the family inside. The day was quite enjoyable, Aunt Catherine had a storage closet full of board games that would make any kid foam at the mouth. There were a ton of old classics that Elsa hadn't played since she was young, along with some new ones that she found a great joy in playing.

They ate comfort food and she found Jack around dinner sitting on a windowsill, letting the cold air into the house, alone.

"Hey, dinner's almost ready." She said.

He looked up, absently, nodded. She saw a sketch paper in his hands and a pencil. Swaying on the balls of her feet, she leaned over casually.

"What are you drawing?" she questioned.

"Doesn't the open window bother you?" He asked, pressing the sketch book against his legs.

"Does it bother you?" She asked, "C'mon, I don't care how bad of an artist you are- I promise I'm worse so I won't laugh." She said, taking the sketchbook from his hands. She nearly dropped the sketch book; it seemed as if he was drawing her mark.

"Jack?" She asked.

"I've just been thinking about it." He said softly, and gave a familiar sly grin, "Maybe I'll get one too." He said with a laugh.

"You know what everyone will think." She said, sitting on the windowsill with him. He shrugged.

"Well, you'll be leaving in a day or so anyway." He pointed out sourly. She wondered what was wrong with him.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Fine. Dandy." He muttered under his breath, telling her he was anything but.

"Jack..." She said, and he looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"True love." He hissed. She gave him a funny look.

"I don't..."

"Never mind." He said brushing it aside, "Dinner's probably ready." He said, opening the door and a rush of the warmth of the wood burning fireplace met Elsa's skin, and he walked out. She frowned, curious to what was up with him and 'true love'.

He was seemingly in a bad mood all night. When she woke up, Catherine explained that he'd gone into the town just north with Amos to buy some food before he went back into the city. Elsa was a little hurt he hadn't asked her to join him, or bothered to wake her even.

"Aunt Catherine said you know how to skate." Emma said, almost bouncing up to her just as she was finishing breakfast, "Will you take me since Jack won't? He's being a butt." She rolled her eyes.

Elsa smiled. "I would love to take you."

Even though her stomach twinges at the thought of seeing skates, there was an unbridled excitement rising in her stomach that couldn't be quelled. It had been far too long since she'd felt the ice underneath her feet.

"I think I have a box of old skates in the closet. You probably want to take a brush out there and a bucket or two of hot water to even the ice." Catherine said.

"I'll be fine. I practiced on uneven ice," Elsa said, then glanced at Emma, "But I guess for a beginner it may help."

"Hey! If you can skate on the pond, so can I." Emma said, already dragging the crate from it's hiding place. The skates that Elsa took after Emma picked weren't perfectly her size, but they were certainty close enough. She carefully threw them over her shoulder, and Emma tugged on her sleeve to get her to get going.

"Tell Sleeping Beauty when she wakes up where I am." Elsa said, imaging Anna still snoring away above her. Catherine nodded in agreement.

The air was biting, but peaceful, and the world was so much better after the snow-storm had hit. And to be honest, Elsa couldn't imagine a better way to spend her last day here. They found the pond covered in a foot of snow and Elsa cleared away the first couple areas with the broom from the house. She carefully tested, seeing at least where she'd cleared away was safe.

"Is there any spots you know that are unsteady? Like where an underground spring is?" She asked, noticing it turned into a tiny frozen stream on the other side.

"How should I know?" Emma said, struggling to put her skates on.

"Okay. Just because it's almost spring," Emma gave a snort and a 'You wouldn't think it is', "We stay close to where I clear off. Try not to go other places. I'm sure the water is freezing nonetheless!"

She laced her skates and took her first glide onto the ice. It was as if everything she'd ever felt while skating came back to her in one rapid breath, so much that she stumbled back, staring at her skates.

"Elsa! Are you okay? You kind look winded." Emma said from the shore. Elsa gave a wide smile.

"I'm wonderful!" She said, "C'mon, it's fun!" She said, pulling Emma onto the ice.

"Not so fast! Ugg," Emma groaned as she fell.

"It's harder than it looks, huh? Let's get back up." She said. For the next couple hours, Elsa taught Emma the basics of ice-skating, and even did a couple smaller tricks which was met with applause. She couldn't believe she'd stopped skating; it was so incredible!

Trouble came when Emma became a little adventurous. Elsa was bending over, catching her breath, when she watched Emma begin to skate outside their safety circle.

"Emma!" She called, "Come back!"

"Sorry! I got a little a head of myself." Emma laughed, and turned back, when Elsa heard the awful sound of ice breaking. The crack froze Emma in place.

"Elsa?" She asked. And the crack came again.

"Emma, stay there. Just..." Elsa acted swiftly without thinking, skating around to Emma, grabbing her hand and shoving her hard past her. She didn't anticipate the quickness of the ice breaking, and just as she watched Emma stumbled off the ice and face-first into the snow on the bank, the ice dropped out from underneath her. She grabbed her surface, but the ice water invaded her body like a toxic, shutting down every motion.

"Elsa!" Emma cried from the shore, "I-,"

"Get help!" Elsa said through gritted teeth.

"But-,"

"You're hardly over 100 pounds. You can't pull me out, and I don't see any branches. Get your aunt or my sister. I'll be fine, okay?" Elsa said, giving her a reassuring smile. Emma, wide eyed and blubbering, scrambled away. Elsa began to feel the shock run through her veins, and it felt like she was holding on to forever, but could feel the warmth slowly sucking away from her body, and she knew that she couldn't hold on much longer.

"Elsa!" She heard someone scream, and saw Anna and Jack followed by Emma and Cierra running toward her. Elsa's teeth was chattering so hard she thought her teeth would break. Jack threw himself just on the ice carefully, sending his staff out to where she was, "Grab on!" He said.

"It's all my fault!" Emma cried, "Elsa' I'm sorry, I-,"

"Emma, quiet." Jack snapped, "C'mon Elsa. Just grab it."

With everything she had, Elsa grabbed the end of his staff, and Anna came to his side and the pair pulled Elsa forward. As soon as she was close enough to the shore, Jack let his staff drop and pulled Elsa into his arms, against his chest. She felt her vision go fuzzy and only remembered being shoved in front of the fireplace, her wet clothes being stripped down to her undershirt, and warm towels being put around her shoulder. Her head bobbed and she fell into the black.

When she snapped her head back up, she registered she was really, really warm. She was also pretty much naked. She looked over, and saw Jack nodding off in a chair next to hers.

"Jack?" She asked softly and he was immediately at her side, "What happened?"

"You saved Emma from drowning. You feel through the ice at the pond." The memories rushed back at Elsa.

"Oh. How did you carry me with your injury? Are you okay?" She asked, recalling his staff sliding into the water, "And I'm sorry about your staff falling into the water."

"God Elsa, don't apologize for being alive." He said, shaking his head, "And I suppose it was in my head. Didn't need it." He said with a wry smile, "Are you...feeling warm?" He asked.

"Way too warm." She said, sliding the blankets partially off her shoulders.

"Good." He said, grinning, "I think. Emma will be glad you're awake. She was convinced she killed you."

"It was just an accident. She was excited about skating." Elsa recalled with a smile, "Maybe take her to a rink next time." She said.

"Glad to see that you aren't dead enough to be sarcastic." He said. He took her hand and rubbed her hand soflty. Elsa gave a contended sigh, and looked at their hands. Then, something caught her eye. Swiftly, she turned his wrist upward.

"Jack..." She said slowly, her voice utterly calm and monotone, "What's this?" she asked. Jack expelled a cuss word underneath his breath as she wiped away what seemed like makeup or something else to reveal...the exact snowflake symbol that on his wrist that was on her own, "Explain?" She asked.

"It's real." He said, leaning back, "Just like yours, I presume. It appeared here the morning you and your sister arrived."

"Why did you cover it, though, in...?" She said, looking at the paint on her fingers.

"Makeup." He said, his face blushing, "Funny thing, is that that morning and since four months ago, I was engaged. Let's say...my fiancee didn't take it well." He said.

"Oh."

"Well, I mean, she was upset, but she broke up. She's a really big romantic, and it killed her that she was going to marry me when we both had our 'true loves' out there somewhere else, especially when mine was close. It killed me, a ton. I loved Isla, and her leaving was horrible. You can imagine I hated the mark, didn't want anyone to see."

"I'm sorry." Elsa said, truly sorry.

"Thanks. And I was sure I was't going to fall in love with my soulmate, then you walked in. As soon as I saw it, I knew. I could have warned you about Hans right off the bat, but well, I was upset. But when I saw him grab you, I couldn't control it. After that, I just couldn't stay away. I was drawn to you." He admitted, "I'm almost sure I might have fallen for you even if you didn't have that, because when you walked into my bar, I thought 'damn, she is the most attractive girl I've ever seen.'" He said.

"You fell for me?" Elsa said, startling back, "We've only known each other for a week." she said. Jack looked a little hurt.

"So you're not..."

"No." Elsa felt stupid, and clenched her teeth, "No. I mean, I wouldn't go as far to say I love you, but...there's something there. Something that I fell for without knowing about this." She said, tapping his arm, "I assume your family was expecting Isla, not me?" She asked.

"Yeah," Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Emma really liked her. Isla was the selfless type, you know. Perfect big sister or mother material. But to placate her from saying something nasty to you, I did tell her that you were my soulmate." He said.

"Ah," Elsa nodded, "I understand the looks she gave me now." Jack nodded, and the pair fell into an uncomfortable silence. Elsa couldn't help staring obviously at his arm; she thought it was all myths and all, but here she was...

"Are we going to tell the rest of the family?" She asked.

"Is it worth it?" He asked raising an eyebrow, "You're leaving tomorrow." He said, a clear ache in his tone.

"I wouldn't be opposed to a long term relationship." Elsa said, shrugging, "Now that I've found my..." she paused, lowering her voice, "Soulmate." Even saying made a thrill run down her spine, and she shared a secret smile with Jack.

"Right. Soulmate." He agreed, squeezing her hand.

Well, anyone could imagine the silence that followed at dinner that night at the announcement. Anna nearly leapt up from the table screaming, "I called it! I called it!" Although, she couldn't have ever called Jack actually having the mark, but just hiding it extremely well the whole time.

"So are you gunna marry her now?" Melvin asked, and Elsa felt her face flush.

"Give it a little time, bud." Jack said, ruffling his head.

"But you're soul mates." Cierra cried, "Why wait?" She asked, "It's meant to be."

"Give me at least a week," Elsa teased, "Maybe three days." The certainty of everything now, instead of weighing her down, made her feel as if she was as free as a bird. She couldn't stop smiling like an idiot.

After dinner, they said their goodbyes. The family hugged Elsa extra hard, because she was family too now. Because, well, they were soul mates. It wasn't like they were going to break up. Some god, some force, had made them to be a perfect match.

The plane ride home almost physically hurt Elsa. She knew where this was going to go, but couldn't' imagine what was going to happen next for the life of her. Anna talked a million miles an hour about a wedding that hadn't even been decided yet.

"Woah, let's get through Rapunzel's, then yours before we start mine." Elsa said, placing hands on her shoulder. Anna gave a loud groan.

"Fiinnneeeee." She muttered.

The next few months seemed to fly by all too fast. Anna and Elsa worked to pack up their things, mostly Elsa because Anna was deep in her studies and an upcoming graduation. It was a day or two after Anna's graduation, and Elsa would be driving away to Colorado before the end of the week, where she already had a house and job lined up. Her and Jack had talked nearly everyday, but on this particular day, for the oddest of reasons, he wasn't answering her. In fact, he hadn't answered her back in two days or so. His silence was concerning her greatly, but there was so much to clean that she had to shove it aside.

The door rang, and Elsa looked up, slicking her hair back. "Anna, are we expecting someone? Someone to help, please?" She moaned, rubbing her sweat away with a towel.

"No, not that I know. Can you get it? I'm dismantling something right now." Anna called back. Elsa pulled her hair into a scrunch and went to the door. She opened the door.

"Elsa, just as attractive as always."

"Jack?" Elsa asked, laughing, rubbing her eyes, "What in the world? God, I would hug you, but I'm sweating and gross right now." She said, unable to hold in her laughter, "How did you know where I live?"

"Who do you think?" Jack asked, rolling his eyes.

"Is Jack here?" Anna called with a smirk, sticking her head out of the room.

"Anna!" Elsa turned, sticking her hands on her hips, "You!"

"Guilty?" Anna winced, "But this is too cute!"

"Ahem?" Jack asked, "Can I come in?" He asked.

"Well, duh! Of course." She said, opening the door, but then noticed his several large suitcases trailing behind him, "How long are you staying? Did you bring everything but the kitchen sink?" She teased.

"About that." Jack said with a soft smile, rubbing the place where his soulmate mark was, "Is your place in Colorado big enough for two?" He questioned.

Elsa nearly spat up the sip of water she took, "You're..."

"He's moving here!" Anna cried. Jack shot her a glare.

"Anna, you should have let her figure it out." He sighed in exasperation.

"Sorry, couldn't help it." Anna let out a childish giggle, "I'm just so happy for you two."

"But Jack, your family, the tavern..." She blubbered.

"My family just wants met to be happy. Emma is just glad she has an excuse to visit America frequently now. And Aster's been trying to get me to sell the place to him for years now. Besides, it just reminded me of being too much of an ass to keep you from Hans and Isla leaving me." He said.

"What? I thought Hans left?" Anna said. Elsa rolled her eyes.

"A story for another time." She said, and turned back, "You're...serious."

"Did I sound unserious?" He questioned, and then pulled at his color, "Please tell me Colorado isn't this hot?" He said.

"It's much colder." She assured, "Don't worry. And when it is, there's ice rinks."

"Good thing I brought my skates. Didn't sell them after all." He shrugged. She also noted he didn't stumble once without his staff.

Anna, at this time, ducked into the room, "Put your arms together! I'm totally posting this on Facebook!" She squealed, "Gawd, it's so beautiful." She said, as Elsa and Jack rolled their eyes, "And so much cooler looking than what may or may not be a vague sketch of Hey Arnold." She teased, holding up her own. "Awesome. Five likes already!"

Elsa and Jack broke into laughter as they watched Anna dance into the next room, singing a badly written tune about true love and soulmate tattoos.

"So...you never answered me. Colorado, we a go?" He asked.

"Well," Elsa pretended to think, "Only if you promise it wouldn't look like your place did back in Norway. That place was a mess."

"Awe, c'mon. I'm not usually like that. My fiancee had just left me. Imagine how surprised she was when I told her." He chuckled.

"You told her?" Elsa's eyes widened.

"Yep, she also insists on an invite to our wedding. I think she's happy I'm happy." He shrugged. Elsa gave a causal shrug.

"If you insist,then I suppose it is acceptable."

"You're so generous." Jack said, hopping off his perch, and swinging her into a dip, "Elsa..." The way he said her name made her whole body shiver with anticipation. As his lips closed over hers, she realized that this was their first real kiss, but it felt as though they'd had a million before this point, and she truly believed Anna when she described soul mates was not just a partner, but a way of life.

There was the sound of a camera clicking from the other room followed by a giggle.

"True love's first kiss!" Anna cried, "Facebook will love this too!"

"Anna, don't you dare!" Elsa said, wriggling from Jack's grip. Anna had jumped on the bed, holding the phone high above her.

"Your famous now, sis! Your people need to see you!" She cried. As Jack helped Elsa tackled Anna to the ground and confiscate the phone, Elsa reflected on the old greek myth. She wasn't sure if having her and Jack combined was really the way to go (he would infuriate her eventually) but old Zeus may have been right about one thing; now that they were together, Elsa felt something she hadn't felt in a very long time.

She felt strong, happy, excited, but most of all, Elsa felt unstoppable. And, from the quick smiles Jack was shooting her, she was pretty sure he felt the same way too. Well, she shouldn't have been surprised. They were technically the same soul, after all.


End file.
